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As a tropical country, Ghana not only houses the best hospitable citizens one can ever be
meet but also known for its richness in cocoa. Its openness to global trade and interaction earned
her the privilege to be the gate way to Africa. Ghana is not only the land of my birth Based on its
geographical location in West Africa, Ghana is well endowed with vast arrays of rich resources
from Agriculture to minerals; gold, cocoa, timber, limestone, tuna, bauxite, aluminum,
manganese ore, diamonds, horticulture, rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, Shea nuts,
bananas among others. However, our economical advancement and survival strongly depends on
cocoa production.
Cocoa is a cash crop that thrives best in moist and fertile soils. Its scientific name is
Theobroma cacao which literally translates, the food of the gods which personally, I think is very
fitting name for such an important crop. Cocoa has been part of my homeland since the 1870’s
during the time where the Swiss Missionaries invaded our premises. It was believed that the
Swiss came with the intention to exploit our farmers but their plans were deterred native of
Ghana called Tetteh Quarshie. This great, brave, iconic who was then a goldsmith/black smith
went to Fernando a Spanish controlled area and stole cocoa seeds and brought to his motherland.
He distributed the seeds among farmers and educated on the importance of cocoa production. He
to me is like Robin Hood because he stole from the oppressors and gave to the oppressed to
better their lives. Thanks to him many of his country men made fortunes through cocoa
production.
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Moreover, Ghana’s tropical rain forest earth proved to be an excellent environment for
cocoa trees to grow. Its fertile soils have the right mineral content and clean water to promote the
growth of the crop. The ability of cocoa trees to grow among other crops is an added bonus for
our farmers. According to Jamieson Chocolate website, “cocoa is produced primarily by
independent local farmers with small to moderate-sized holdings, not on the large plantations
used in many parts of the world”. This small scale style of farming gives our farmers the
advantage of producing quality cocoa because they are able to devote more of their attention and
effort on their cocoa. This is one of the main reasons why Ghana is the second leading country in
the world in terms of cocoa production as shown in the data table below. This table was derived
from both Wikipedia and international-tariffs’ websites which represents the numerical
breakdown of the worlds leading producers of cocoa.
Country
Amount produced Percentage of world production
Côte d’Ivoire
1.3 million tonnes
Ghana
720 thousand tonnes 20.7%
Indonesia
440 thousand tonnes 12.7%
Cameroon
175 thousand tonnes 5.0%
Nigeria
160 thousand tonnes 4.6%
37.4%
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Brazil
155 thousand tonnes 4.5%
Ecuador
118 thousand tonnes 3.4%
Dominican Republic 47 thousand tonnes 1.4%
Malaysia
30 thousand tonnes 0.9%
In Ghana, Cocoa cultivating and processing is not an individual affair. It is a social event
which is often referred to as communal labor. According to Jamieson website, prior to the actual
cocoa planting, our farmers are educated by Agricultural extension workers on the best ways to
protect and prevent pests’ infestations without over exposing their crops to toxic chemicals and
sprays. The extension workers are in turn supported by continuous research carried out at the
Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana-Tafo. This research center is able to develop new cocoa
hybrids using forastero and trinitario stock.
There are also two major harvesting seasons for our farmers; the bigger season
commences in October and ends in February and the small one is from May to August. During
each season, the community members are required to aid the farmers especially in the rural areas.
After harvests, the group gathers the harvested cocoa and carries them to the farmers’ vicinity.
There, they proceed to cut open the golden pods (cocoa) and the seeds are scooped and piled on
clean banana leaves. After all the seeds are assembled, they are thoroughly covered with more
banana leaves to keep them clean and warm. Each day, for five to six days after gathering the
seeds, the farmers personally stir the heap of beans (seeds). This process is very essential to
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maintain and bring out the original flavor of cocoa. Since our farmers process smaller amounts of
cocoa at a given time, they ensure that the adequate fermentation level is achieved, thus another
reason why our cocoa is in high quality. After fermentation, comes sun drying of seeds; the seeds
are sundried on bamboo boards covered with rush mats. According to the website, this process of
drying is preferred by our farmers because it does not produce “off flavors” in the cocoa beans.
Finally, the dried beans are packed in to special jute bags called “kokotu” and then carried
buying agents in the local area for marketing.
Cocoa has many benefits but the worldly known one is the production of chocolate.
Chocolate, to many, is used to show one’s love and affection towards another. Hence, it is very
popular on Saint Valentine’s Day not only in my country but globally. Chocolate is made out
dried refined cocoa beans. Chocolate aside from its sweet smell and delicious taste has several
health advantages. For instance, an article in the London “Times” read that chocolate has the
ability to combat heart diseases.
According to an article from The Lancet posted on Jamieson’s website, a study done by
Andrew L. Waterhouse and researchers of University of California found out that “chocolate
contains significant levels of phenol, which prevents oxidation of a specific type of combined fat
and protein complex in the blood. Oxidation of these low density lipoproteins is known to be
linked to furring of the arteries which can lead to heart attacks. A 41-gram piece of milk
chocolate was found to contain 205 mg of phenol, compared with 210 mg in a glass of red wine.
Two tablespoons of cocoa had 146 mg of phenol.” However, it stated that Dark chocolate had
more phenol than milk chocolate." Chocolate may increase the amount of anti-oxidant in the
body which aids in eliminating free radicals that may cause harm to the body. Another article on
that same website said that similar research “suggest that dietary intake of cocoa rich in
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antioxidant flavonoids may reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, and morbidity and mortality from
coronary heart disease. The caffeine content of cocoa is 0.009% by weight, compared with
coffee (0.04%), black tea (0.06%, and green tea (0.01%)."
Scientists at the University of Westminster also found out that Chocolate can be good for
you, especially if you sniff it. Its smell has been shown to boost the immune system. Remember
that warm feeling you get when you sink your teeth into a chocolate bar, study as shown that
chocolate has the ability to increase serotonin levels in the body. This serotonin is a hormone that
regulates mood thus the sweet feeling. Therefore, forego your inner fears and indulge yourself in
a bar of chocolate preferable the dark ones because it is actually very healthy for you.
The cocoa shells also have many beneficial values. It can either serve as food or fruit, use
as medicine, or made into calabash which as a very cultural function. The calabash in many
traditional beliefs in Ghana represents wealth and fertility. During customary marriages, the
bride is often gifted with the calabash from either her mother or mother-in-law. This present is to
wish her well in her marriage and to enhance her fertility. The bride-groom is made to drink from
the calabash through out the entire ceremony; this act is believed to bring wealth and happiness
into their new household. The cocoa leaves as well as the shell are used in preparing herbal
medicines, body creams to cure blemishes and acne and hair products to build up strong healthy
hair.
In conclusion, cocoa has been and still is the backbone of my motherland. It is very mush
a part of our culture as well as our economy. Even though, Ghana is a developing (third world)
country, politically, cocoa has made her a powerful force to be reckoned with in terms of its
agriculture. Therefore, the next time, you bite into a bar of chocolate or use any by-product of
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cocoa, remember the role Ghana played in terms of cocoa production. Long live Ghana and its
rich resources especially cocoa help elevates us economically unto higher grounds.
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Work Cited
Andrew L. Waterhouse, Joseph R. Shirley, Jennifer L. Donovan, The Lancet, Vol. 348,
No. 9030, 21 Sept 1996, P. 834.
K. Kondo, R. Hirano, A. Matsumoto, O. Igarashi, H. Itakura, The Lancet, Vol. 348, No. 9040,
30 Nov 1996, p. 1514.
“The Times” London, 20 Sept 1996
The Lancet, Vol. 348, No. 9040, 30 Nov 1996, p. 1514.
Michael D. Lemonick, Time, Sept 2, 1996, p. 58.
Paula Dranov, "Chocolate! Confessions of a Chocolate Freak", 1998, pp. 12-13.
Sun-Times, Aug 11, 1998.
http://international-tariffs.suite101.com/article.cfm/top_cocoa_chocolate_exporters
http://www.chocolatebyjamieson.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa
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